What role can rage play in political struggle? Doesn’t rage impede one’s ability to think clearly and respond effectively? William Sokoloff contends that rage is a fundamental component of democratic citizenship. He describes how Frederick Douglass used rage to fuel and sharpen his critiques of slavery. William Sokoloff, Confrontational Citizenship: Reflections on Hatred, Rage, Revolution, … Continued


What role do toxic residues and environmental pollution play in how the Anthropocene is unfolding? According to Gabrielle Hecht, Africa is too often neglected or ignored by natural and social scientists and international bodies, even as mining residues and other wastes wreak havoc on human health and the environment. Gabrielle Hecht, “The African Anthropocene” Aeon … Continued


In 2013, Edward Snowden’s revelations of mass surveillance by the National Security Agency pointed to spying on a mind-bending scale. Journalist Pratap Chatterjee weights in on the connection between that mass data collection and drone warfare – and the state of surveillance and drone attacks five years on. Resources: Pratap Chatterjee and Khalil, Verax: The … Continued


Why was neoliberalism devised and introduced? What impact did the so-called Third World debt crisis have on poorer countries? Why have capitalists gone on what Vijay Prashad calls an investment strike? The historian, journalist, and author connects the dots in a new working document entitled “In the Ruins of the Present.” Resources: Tricontinental: Institute for … Continued


Addressing mass incarceration and repressive policing in the U.S. is a daunting task. Jonathan Simon believes that invoking human dignity, and the need to respect dignity, can fuel efforts to change the direction of the carceral state. Sharon Dolovich and Alexandra Natapoff, eds., The New Criminal Justice Thinking NYU Press, 2017 Jonathan Simon, Mass Incarceration … Continued